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Chicago Chess Conference
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- Written by Hector R. Hernandez Hector R. Hernandez
- Created: 01 September 2022 01 September 2022
The conference brings together Chicago area private high schools, primarily Catholic schools. The purpose of the conference is to promote chess in Chicago area high schools and to provide match play for teams of member schools. Our member schools are Brother Rice, De La Salle Institute, DePaul College Prep, Latin, Leo, Marist, Mt. Carmel, St. Ignatius, St. Patrick, and St. Rita.
Each school fields a team of eight boards, consisting of the top players ranked by playing strength. Additionally, up to four alternate players are allowed to compete. At the end of the season, trophies are awarded to the best twenty-five players, tournament winners, and the top teams in the conference.
Our playing schedule for the season starts in early October with a blitz kick-off tournament. The following week, all teams start holding their scheduled matches. Half of our matches are played at home and half are away contests. We play our matches in Foglia Library, an ideal location, and a beautiful setting for intellectual pursuits.
In Memoriam: Jerry Neugarten
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- Written by ICA Board ICA Board
- Created: 10 August 2022 10 August 2022
Jerry Neugarten passed away peacefully at home on Monday. His wife Betsy was at his side.
In lieu of flowers, those who wish can make a donation in Jerry's honor to the US Chess Federation: https://new.uschess.org/give. As you know, he had a long-term passion for teaching chess to kids.
You may have seen Jerry's obituary here and a condensed version in the Chicago Tribune.
In Memoriam: Garrett Scott
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- Written by Darren Erickson Darren Erickson
- Created: 09 August 2022 09 August 2022
Garrett Scott, well known member of the Illinois chess community, passed away this week.
Garrett was a founding member of the Twin Cities Chess Club (also known as the Bloomington-Normal Chess Club) in 1967. Mr. Scott was a key member not only of the adult chess community but also coached many students over the years. He was an active part of Bloomington-Normal Area Scholastic Chess, the Illinois High School Association and Illinois Elementary School Association. He was a passionate civil rights advocate, having marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and was a founder of the annual MLK Day Scholastic Chess Tournament in Bloomington where he reminded all participants of the need to continue the struggle for civil rights. He also served on the Illinois Chess Association board including a period as President, previously served as an Executive Board member of the United States Chess Federation, and also served a term on the Normal City Council. He will be missed not only by family and friends but by multiple generations of chess players across the United States.
Garrett's obituary can be found at https://www.calvertmemorial.com/obituaries/Garrett-Scott?obId=25580024#/obituaryInfo
Strong Field at Inaugural Champaign Chess Championship at University of Illinois
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- Written by Rishi Narayanan Rishi Narayanan
- Created: 29 April 2022 29 April 2022
On April 10th, the Illini Chess Club hosted the first Champaign Chess Classic. Mihir Bafna was the Chief TD and Organizer of the first-time event, held on the University of Illinois campus. The event had 53 players for a 4-round g60 event. There were two sections, a Reserve (under 1500) section with 30 players and an Open section with 23 players.
In the Open section, Rishi Narayanan finished clear first with a perfect 4/4. Abhyudhaya Venkat was second with 3.5/4. Andrei Skorobogatykh and Sadkrith Malladi tied for 3rd with 3/4. In the Reserve section, Kevin Wright and William Quinn both finished on a perfect 4/4, and Kanav Bhatnagar got sole third with an unbeaten 3.5/4. The rating report is here.
400-plus Players Bring the In-Person Illinois K-8 Championships Back to Life
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- Created: 04 April 2022 04 April 2022
March 11-13 saw the return of the Illinois K-8 Chess Championships, this time in Schaumburg. Organized by Chess Weekend, Inc. working in partnership with the Illinois Chess Association, the tournament had 433 players compete over-the-board for 7 rounds of dual-rated chess on this event’s traditional “spring forward” weekend. Side events included blitz, bughouse and a puzzle-solving contest.
Due to pandemic uncertainties, attendance was lower than years past, and players were excited when they compared the number of trophies on-stage with the smaller field this year. Originally ordered for the 2020 Illinois K-8 State Championship, those trophies waited two years to go home with their happy winners.
Individual state champions were: Lillian Han (K-1), Matthew Tikhomirov (2-3), Andy Dong (4-5), and Anshul Shetty (6-8).
State champion teams were: Tripp School, Buffalo Grove (K-1), Latin School of Chicago (2-3), Grove Elementary School, Normal (4-5), Evans Junior High School, Bloomington (6-8).
Full results are here. The rating report is here.